Breakout Sessions
Powerful Writing Communities: My How-To Manual
Generating a strong fabric of community should be the goal in every classroom - and it is an absolute necessity for those teachers who wish to empower writers. In this session Steven Layne, award-winning author of over 30 books, will workshop the audience through his unique method for developing a 3-12 classroom environment that is alive with kids who want to write and who do write!| Audience: | All |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
In Search of Focused Writing
How many times have you reviewed a piece written by a student and thought, “I have no idea what this is even about”? Steven Layne has “been there, done that” and now would like to share his lesson sequence for grades 3-12 in specifically teaching the skill of writing “focus” to students.| Audience: | All |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
And the Research Says: Teacher Book Chats as a Motivational Influence on Readers
Motivating students to read is a challenging task; however, many students just need to be introduced to good books. This session shares the results and classroom implications from a study examining how teacher-delivered book chats dramatically increased reading motivation with statistically significant results.| Audience: | All |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
Climate Change: Creating a Culture of Reading in Schools
With his trademark combination of humor and heart, Steven Layne tackles one of the most significant issues in education today: How to promote and sustain a “reading culture” in elementary, middle, and high schools. The engagement factor is critical as is the ability to create a dynamic where all members of the school community desire to move a literacy initiative forward. Based on his books Igniting a Passion for Reading and In Defense of Read-Aloud, Dr. Layne’s address will blend anecdotes with practical suggestions for fostering a change in building climate that can lead to powerful literacy growth.| Audience: | All |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
Process & Product: Writing Books for Children & Young Adults
Award-winning children’s and YA author Steven L. Layne will take interested participants deep into the process he follows for initiating, drafting, revising, and publishing a book and explain the similarities between this process in the publishing industry and in the classroom!| Audience: | All |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
In Defense of Read-Aloud
Steven Layne provides exciting insights and an energizing overview of his newest professional book. Come and hear the HOW and the WHY behind the book he feels is going to settle the issue of reading aloud K-12 once and for all!| Audience: | All |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
Stories I Rarely Tell
Award-winning author Steven Layne has published over twenty books - children's picture books, young adult thrillers, gifts books for adults, and professional titles for teachers, too! And there are stories about those books that are rarely discussed-the kind of interesting behind-the-scenes "scoop" that libraries and bookstores don't know anything about at all! Join Steven for what promises to be an entertaining reveal about several of his books and participate in a questions and answer session that just might motivate the writer in you!| Audience: | All |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers:
Great Ideas You Can Put in Place Tomorrow!
| Audience: | Classroom Teachers, Librarians/Media Specialists |
| Grades: | K-12 (tailored to specific grade ranges as requested) |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
Using Children's Books to Excite Young Writers
Teachers are always in need of a good response to kids who say, "I can't think of anything to write about." After this energizing presentation, you'll have several great answers! Join award-winning author Steven Layne as he uses a wide-range of children's picture books and middle grade novels to introduce five key arenas from which authors draw story ideas. Come and discover how easily this information translates into practice in any K-8 classroom where literacy development is a top priority. It's time to get your students' pencils moving with excitement!| Audience: | Classroom Teachers, Librarians/Media Specialists |
| Grades: | K-12 |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
Picture Books as a Springboard to Literacy Activities
Picture books are a valuable resource for scaffolding literacy activities at any grade level, and Steven L. Layne can show you how to make it happen! This session promotes practical ideas which use picture books as a vehicle for expanding students' reading and writing experiences. Come prepared for a lively and engaging session full of great ideas for the classroom.| Audience: | Classroom Teachers, Librarians/Media Specialists |
| Grades: | K-8 |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
Where in the World Do Writers Get Their Ideas?
As an award-winning children's and young adult author, Steven Layne knows a lot about where a writer's best ideas begin. In this dynamic, high energy presentation, parents, teachers, kids - the whole community will come away with some fabulous background stories about Steve's books as well as useful information about places that writers of any age can go for inspiration. This session works extremely well for a school-hosted community literacy night event.| Audience: | All |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
Books the Little Kids Love!
Author Steven L. Layne guides your discussion of the elements that create a successful picture book - the kind of book that children in the primary grades want to experience over and over and OVER again! Lots of great books will be included via demonstration.| Audience: | Classroom Teachers, Librarians/Media Specialists |
| Grades: | K-3 |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
What Parents Can Do to Nurture Lifetime Readers
In an age where children have far more choices of what to do with their time than they once did, what can parents do to instill a love of reading? How can you keep those same kids reading throughout the grades, and how do you reignite interest in reading for a child who seems to have forgotten all about books? These questions and more are addressed with practical suggestions and solutions in this parent education workshop.| Audience: | Parents of children and young adults in grades PreK - 12 |
| Length: | 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes |
